Monday, January 16, 2017

Moving Day!

Currently with the Binghampton Senators

I hope that the
Binghampton Senators will really enjoy their stay in the Belleville
area, which includes vast stretches of land from north of Bancroft to
the shores of Lake Ontario, south of Prince Edward County.

I was in the crowd
recently when it was announced that they were relocating to
Belleville. There were a lot of smiling faces in the crowd. Many of
those people were formerly Belleville Bulls' fans, and were thrilled
to see that hockey was returning to Belleville. In the same token, I
am certain there were some disappointed fans in Binghampton.

Many of those people
remember the glory days of hockey in the Quinte area when the
Belleville McFarlands reigned supreme. There were some lean years
following the exploits of the McFarlands. But there was decent Junior
hockey and some senior hockey as well.

There were a few
reasons why the Belleville Bulls left town.

The seating capacity
was a little small. Mind you, even at the best of times, one could
still find a seat here or there. Most of the time, even during the
heyday of the Bulls, there were seats available during the regular
season. Of course it was another story during the playoffs. But that
situation really pertains to all levels of hockey, at crunch time.

The style of play was a
big factor. Most fans had had enough of George Burnett. Let's just
say that he was a defensive-minded coach, and did not emphasize an
offensive game. There are many styles of play, and George emphasized
the wrong one for Bulls' fans. Many refused to renew their seasons'
tickets because of that.

In the dead of winter,
it is cold in Ontario. No kidding. And yet, the Bulls' home games
were broadcast live on television.
So Don and his bride are sitting at the dinner table, and it is ten
below zero, and he asks her if she might be interested in heading out
to the Bulls game. They will have to park half a mile from the
arena's entrance. On the other hand, they could crack a cold one, and
watch the game on TV, in comfort, by the fireside.

There
have been reports of relocations taking place at this time in the
National Football League. Silly stuff. But the San Diego Chargers are
likely on their way out of town, to become the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Raiders are destined for Vegas, to join the hockey Knights. Sad
times, as those with good memories will recall. The Colts bolted from
Baltimore in the middle of the night, leaving a bad taste in many
mouths. Sadly, it's all about the buck.

So
let's get back to the playoffs. We now have the Steelers traveling to
New England to play the Patriots, the Packers going to Atlanta to
face the Falcons. Football fans across North America will enjoy this
weekend's playoffs, with the SuperBowl only weeks away!